CuriOdyssey Travel
Custom & Curated Travel Planning
"LIFE IS EITHER
A DARING ADVENTURE
OR NOTHING."
Helen Keller
Cutting-Edge Destinations*
Use these trip ideas as starting points and customize as you please. Don’t see a trip or a country here? Just ask!
*With some of these destinations, politics and current events may preclude visiting at certain times.
One of the world’s most mysterious countries, the DPRK has a population of over 24 million and is frequently featured in the news, but few people outside of it have seen the workings of everyday life. Divided in two in 1945, North Korea remains a single-party state that emphasizes self-reliance and kept travel restrictions in place for U.S. citizens until 2010. Travel here is only possible as part of a guided tour. If you are unprepared to accept limitations on your movements, behavior, and freedom of expression, then this is not a trip for you.
* After 9/1/17, the US government is restricting travel to the DPRK to only humanitarian and journalist purposes and will require special paperwork.
Open the door to enigmatic Iran on this remarkable journey of discovery. Once the seat of the mighty Persian Empire alongside the ancient Greeks and Romans, Iran today is a place of searing beauty, with its billowing domes and mosaic-clad mosques and madrasahs. Its monumental archeological sites are some of the finest in the world, its architecture is infused with color and energy, and its bazaars are without equal. With a culture that prizes hospitality, Iranians are unfailingly warm and engaging, delighting in welcoming travelers into their lives.
East meets west, north meets south: since time immemorial, this rugged, remote branch of the ancient Silk Road has existed at the intersection of trails trodden by nomads, peddlers, pilgrims and, at times, the soldiers and emissaries of great powers. Take a breathtaking caravan-style journey through Western China, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with glimpses of Afghanistan from across the Tajik-Afghan border, the Panj River. Travel up and over the majestic Pamir Mountains, newly accessible after decades of isolation, through busy cities, and secluded villages.
A land of rich biodiversity and culture, Colombia boasts soaring Andean summits and shoreline on two oceans. Wander amid cinematic cobblestoned towns and villages undiscovered by mainstream tourism. Travel from vibrant Bogotá, the third-highest capital city in the world, to Zipaquira with its magical salt cathedral, to the coffee-strewn, emerald-green hilltops of Armenia, and the captivating colonial city of Cartegena. Motorboat through the beautiful Rosario Islands along the unspoiled Caribbean coast.
Forget what people think about El Salvador. The civil war has been over for 17 years! Today, El Salvador is a peaceful land of broad valleys, plentiful and dramatic volcanoes, black-sand beaches, and outstandingly welcoming, resilient, and optimistic people. Discover ancient archaeological sites from the Maya civilization, some dating back to the third century B.C.E, as well as colonial towns, interesting markets, crafts, museums, delicious food, and only a small number of other travelers, making this an authentic gem of a destination.
Embark on an epic journey overland from Abu Simbel in Egypt through northern Sudan—across endless desert along the beautiful Nile and into thousands of years of ancient Egyptian and Nubian history. This was the route taken by countless invading armies, unfortunate slaves, and early explorers, searching for the source of the Nile. It is a journey like no other for the adventurous traveler.
Witness a tropical region with high mountains, variable climates, and long coastlines on two oceans. Wander through jungle to find Mayan pyramids that date back a millennium, explore the cobblestone streets of 16th-century colonial towns, and gaze up at volcanoes churning with lava and smoke. Travel by small boats while crossing from Costa Rica into Nicaragua and then into El Salvador. Discover the lands that poet Pablo Neruda called "the sweet waist of America."
With several decades of stability, Nicaragua is now the place to go. Behind the country’s tumultuous history, uncover a peaceful and beautiful country. Known as the “land of lakes and volcanoes,” all who visit Nicaragua are struck not only by the grandeur of its nature and colonial cities and lack of tourists, but by the genuine hospitality and earnestness of the Nicaraguan people.